Saturday, November 28, 2009

Alexsis and the Dragon had spoken at length. The sun had set and the moon had risen when the dragon was satisfied with the bargain he had made with Alexsis. With a leap, the dragon jumped in the air. Quickly he gained altitude. As he faded into the evening sky, Alexsis wondered if the bargain she had made with the dragon would save her people. At any result, Alexsis' fate was doomed. Win the war and Alexsis would still have to pay the dragon's price. Lose? Well ...there was no choice here.
It was win or die.
The moon was high when Alexsis stepped out of the pagoda. A chill ran up her spine when she heard the cries of the wolves. They were still far up the mountain. But she knew their intentions.
They would come for her, and fast. She began to run. She needed to hurry back to the castle. The Tyrant's army was approaching. She commanded the defending forces and without her the army's chance were slim. Even with Alexsis, the chances for survival were not good. The Tyrant would assualt the castle at daybreak. Now, was not the time for wolves. She quickened her pace.

The wolves raced down the mountain. The leader had scented Alexsis and

quickened his pace. She was running but there was no scent of fear. The women was running from them but for what reason? " No matter" thought the wolf ," She would be dead shortly." The leader crested a small rise up to a level plain. About 200 meters ahead, he could see the women. There were 5 wolves all together. No reason at all to fear a single female human. The Tyrant had sent them. The wolves had been made promises. The pack pressed on. Alexsis knew she was running for her life. But she could not delay. The wolves were getting closer now...closer.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The dragon and Alexsis have spoken in secret and now they have seperated. Each has gone their own way.
Where is the dragon going?
What did Alexsis hear from up in the mountains?
Read the new episode this wekend.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

It's that time of year again. Time for the annual Ohio State-Michigan football game. This will be the 106th meeting of these rivals. Once again, Ohio State is the big favourite over it's hated rival. Michigan has suffered 5 losses in a row to Ohio. Today's game will be in Ann Arbhor, Michigan.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Alexis ascended the final flight of stairs to the roof of the pagoda. The dragon was waiting. She had summoned it and now she was finally in the dragon's presence. Alexis carried the twin swords of
power, one in each hand. The swords shimmered and hummed with power. The dragon had felt the swords as Alexis approached with them. The swords were powerful, a force the dragon hadn't seen for a thousand years. Yes! these were the same swords! The very ones that were used so long ago to...
"Impossible!!!" the dragon roarded into the sky. The dragon braced itself for the worst. "What is she going to?" the dragon thought. He shifted his weight forward to poise himself for an attack.

Unexpectedly, Alexis dropped to one knee and lowered the swords. She put the swords on the ground hilts first. As she released her grip, the the shimmering radiance of the swords quicky faded away. The hum of the swords also faded. In the silence...Alexis spoke.
"There has been a great injustice, my lord. Allow me to tell you."
The dragon relaxed. The swords were safely on the ground for now. Where had she gotten them?
How was she able to use them? The swords had come to life in her hands! The women had spoken to him. Her words were spoken in the old language. Many years ago, dragons had united with humans to fight a great evil. The language she used was from a forgotten age.
"Why do you have those swords? Speak now!" the dragon commanded.
Alexis spoke at length. Her conversation carried on uninterupted for half the night.
The dragon listened intently. Finally, Alexis ended her story and rose to her feet.
The dragon raised it's head and straighten himself to an impossing height over Alexis. He hesitated... then the dragon leaped into air! Two massive swips of its wings propelled it into the air.
As the dragon rose in the sky, it let out a tremendous cry: " It will be done!!!"
"Before hell's gates, I swear upon my death...it will be done." The dragon was quickly gaining altitude over Alexis. In a minute, it would be out of sight.
"It's done. And I have survived for now." Alexis sighed. She did not try to fool herself however,
the easy part was now done. Next comes the hard part she tould herself. She picked up her swords and sheathed them on her back. Just then, the howl of a wolf came down the mountains. At the sound, a cold chill ran down Alexis's back...."The night is not over yet," she wispered.

After six months of learning Japanese, I decided to learn to read and write Japanese. So of course, I had to start with hiragana. Hiragana is the phonetic way to write. As I studied, I learned many new words. However, it was clear to me; the pronounciation of some words was different from the everyday Japanese that I was used to. This only confused me. I quickly realized writing and speaking are two different fields of study. My Japanese ability at the time was making me money. I needed to talk to Japanese people face to face. I soon abandoned writing Japanese. It was more practical for me to listen to native speakers and learn pattern sentences. Everything I learned, and then used ; I first heard it! I hope this helps your understanding of the underlying principles of "Sound Stream." I'll continue this essay next time.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

I have been following the student blogs closely. Like I've said before, it's easier for me to read the blogs than a newspaper. All that aside, the students seem to be very pleased with "Sound Stream English". I very happy about this. Mr. Sakurai has worked very hard to write this program. The majority of the students are professional people. These students require a high level of English ability.
They did not get it from the phonics based Japanese education system. If they did, why are they coming to us? Because, "Sound Stream" works. I didn't know it at the time, but I used the Sound Stream method myself. When I first started to study Japanese, I lived in Hawaii. I learned complete sentences from friends and tourists. I did not start out with あ、い、う、え、お No, my first sentence was- 私の名前はマイケルです。From there I learned to use more and more sentences by listening to native Japanese speakers. The proof is in the pudding!
If you would like to hear an example of "Sound Stream Japanese", please call me! People always say, "Michael you are so smart." I don't think so! All I did, was repeat everything I heard the way it was said to me. I have yet to translate "Sound Stream" to English. However, it works! I have yet to meet an American who can speak better Japanese than I can. Of course, there's always someone better. In the future, I plan to sell Mr. Sakurai's "Sound Stream Japanese". I'm sure it will be a success.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Hello there. How are you? I have been busy but it's Sunday today so I will try to not work so hard. A good routine is needed to learn English. Students must try to set aside time for their lessons. I know everyone is busy. English is not easy to learn. If it was, everybody would speak English. Be easy on yourselves. Anyway I'll be on-line most of the evening. Contact me if you would like to say hello.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Alexis drew the twin swords she carried on her back. The blades shimmered and shone. A radiant light circled the hilts. A low hum accompained the drawing of the swords. Alexis stood straight. Drawing in breath to calm herself she began to ascend the stairs. It was no use trying to fool the dragon. It would know if she tried to decieve it. Many had tried and died!
"It needs to know who I am" she thought. "I will stand straight and show no fear."
The dragon had heard the drawing of the swords! He was momentarily stunned by the sound of the swords. It had been decades since he had seen the swords!
"Could it be?" the dragon wondered. "Impossible" he thought. He could not only hear the swords but he also felt their presence. Whoever carried them was coming up the stairs!
A primal wave of both fear and wonder gripped him. The dragon braced himself. The warrior coming could have summoned him to kill him. Once, the warrior who carried these swords was his
companion. But that was a long time ago, in a different era and place. This warrior could not possibly be...

The Dragon decended from the sky. She hadn't really believed it would come to her summons, but here it was. As the dragon landed on the roof of the pagoda, the entire building shook with its' weight.
Calling a dragon was a serious matter. It would do her bidding but, what was the cost ? She had many enemies. Those enemies would pay now for their insolense. Revenge was her goal. And the dragon would be her instrument of revenge. Soon her nemesis would be in a grave.
"Would she join them?What would the dragon ask in return," she wondered.*

Hi, everybody. How's it going? It's going to be a busy morning. Did I say morning?
Yes the time difference from Ohio and Japan is 13 hours. So Japan's evening is Ohio's morning.
Morning time is the best time for me to study. I'm fresh and have lots of energy.
I plan to work on some translations and then I will read the student blogs. Compared to a Japanese newspaper, the langauge of the blogs is easier for me to read. If you have any questions please contact us.